Baby&#39;s bathtub



Oct. 7, 1958 J, c, SETECKA 2,854,671

BABY'S BATHTUB Filed Sept. 9, 1957 v a v INVENTOR. M

Jain 6'. ci'etecka Unite States Patent BABYS BATHTUB John C. Setecka, Cicero, Ill.

Application September 9 1957, Serial No. 682,909

3 Claims. (Cl. 4--'-183) My invention is directed to a novel bathtub adapted for use in bathing infants and children.

It is an important object of my invention to provide a bathtub having a novel combination of structural features including water recess or well at one end and a raised bottom portion inclined to such recess to cause draining of Water into such recess and to thereby support the infant on such inclined bottom panel, thereby avoiding the partial immersion of the infant in the dirty water in the tub.

A further important object of my invention is the provision of a sanitary and relatively light portable tub or bathinette for use in bathing infants which has a continuous wall, integral peripheral bottom flange and an integrally formed inclined bottom or supporting panel, partially terminating at its lower end in a pair of deeper integral water receptacles or wells, which are within the confines of the continuous outer wall and into one of which wells the water drains by gravity from said supporting panel, the other of said compartments or wells normally holding the clean water.

Other and further objects of my invention will be apparent from the following description and appended claims.

On the drawings:

Fig. l is a top elevation of a preferred form of my infants bathtub.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view thereof with parts broken away.

Fig. 3 is an elevational view looking at one thereof.

Fig. 4 is a cross section taken on line 4--4 of Fig. 1.

As shown on the drawings:

A further object of my invention is the provision of a tub of bathinette for infants having a pair of adjacent wells in one end portion thereof, one of which is separated from the body supporting inclined panel by an integral rib or web and adapted to normally hold the clean water; and the other of said wells being adapted to re ceive the soiled water drained off from the body supporting panel, so that the soiled water cannot mix with the clean water; and in which an inclined body supporting panel supports the infant during undressing, bathing and dressing.

Numeral 19 generally designates the tub or bathinette which is preferably formed by molding in one piece, preferably of a polyethylene plastic. Said tub is defined by a continuous U-shaped outer wall 11, 11a, which has a rounded end portion 12 and by a substantially straight integral end Wall 13. Said Walls 11, 11a and 13 merge into integrally formed upper peripheral flange 14, as illustrated in the drawings. The upper portions of said side walls 11 and 13 are preferably inclined or flared outwardly and the lower portions thereof are preferably straight and in normally vertical planes, and angularly disposed in relation to the upper portions, as lilustrated in Fig. 4.

Numeral 15 designates an integrally formed bottom or supporting panel which is preferably flat and extends ice zapartzrelation:integral with the bottom face of'panel 15 and extend ttothezsame transverse-plane .as thelower edges vof lthezside'wallill asitillustrated in Fig. 4.

Inclined bottompanel 15 .terminatesxa short distance inward .of thetstraight :end wallv '13, as illustrated in Figs. 1

and 2, and one portion thereofrmerges with a downwardly iextending:slightly iinclinedlintegral wallporti'on 17 which partially-"defines ta compartment, recess, receptacle :or well 18. Said verticalwall 17,;merges:with .the'interionface of side wall 11a, asishown inEi'gs. 1 Land.3.

The rather: portion ro'f' t h'ezinner end 'of' panel :15 extends :iupwardlyfand then downwardly .to. form r-a .rib,-'stop or baflle 19 of U-shaped cross section, and this battle extends downwardly and merges integrally with the relatively flat integral bottom 20, as indicated at 21 in Fig. 3.

Bottom 20, is flat and extends from one side wall 11 to the opposite portion of side wall 11a and merges integrally with the lower edge of end wall 13, and thereby forms a bottom for the receptacle, compartment or well 18, as well as for the water receptacle or well 21 which is shown at the lower right of Figs. 2 and 3.

A longitudinally extending separating partition or wall 22 is integral with end wall 13 and with vertical wall 17 and is preferably disposed about mid-way between side walls 11 and 11a. Accordingly, a second receptacle, container or well 21 is defined by the integral wall portion 17, partition 22, a part of end wall 13 and by an end portion of wall 11.

Said container 21 is adapted to receive the clean water to be used in the bathing operation.

A soap dish 24 is preferably secured or optional molded integral with the upper edge of the partition 22.

In use the clean water is poured into well 21. The infant is normally placed on the bottom panel 15, undressed and as the washing operation progresses, the soiled water draining from the infant will run on and along the inclined bottom panel 15 and into the receiving well 18, where it is retained until later emptying. Thereby, no soiled water is mixed with the clean water in supply well 21, and there is consequently no soiled or dirty water applied to the body of infants as is normally the case in presently known tubs.

Another highly desirable feature is the fact that the baby can be undressed, bathed and dressed without at any stage ever removing it from the bathing surface. In the process of drying the baby after bathing, this surface becomes dry, so that clothes can be put on immediately.

Bathtubs or bathinettes embodying my invention are highly advantageous due to their compact size and light weight, which make them highly satisfactory for use in apartments, trailers and rooms of limited size, this in contrast with present bathinettes which require considerable space. This also provides for compact packaging and transport.

A further advantage is that the same may be economically manufactured and easily displayed in stores and carried by purchasers to their homes.

As many changes could be made in the above construction, and as many apparently widely different embodiments of my invention within the scope of the claims could be constructed without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained a in the accompanying specification shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

1. A bathtub for infants comprising a peripheral wall having a U-shaped portion and an end portion co-extensive with said U-shaped portion; a body support panel being coextensive with said U-shaped portion and sloping said body panel; a wall disposed medially in said chamber q and dividing said chamber into a pair of disconnected wells and a stop extending upwardlyfrom said depending wall above the level of said body support panel whereby water on said body support panel normally will drain only into one of saidwells.

2. The bathtub defined in claim 1 further characterized by a plurality of longitudinally extending depending ribs connected tossaid body support panel to a level co-planar with the lower end of said peripheral wall.

3. A bathtub for infants comprising a peripheral wall;

a forwardly sloping body support panel connected to said wall in a water-tight seal and disposed medially of the upper and lower ends of said wall, the forward end of said body support panel being free from connection to said peripheral wall; a wall at the forward end of said body support panel depending therefrom and together with the front portion of said peripheral wall defining a pair of wells below the level of said body support panel; an abutment about one of said wells whereby water draining from said body support panel will enter normally the other of said wells.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,913,820 Russel June 13, 1933 OTHER REFERENCES Modern Plastics, page 96, January 1952, volume 29, No. 5. 

